May 16, 2018
Page 5
Ilyasha Shabazz, the daughter of the late civil rights icon Malcom
X, will be in Portland on Saturday, May 26 as a guest of the
Portland NAACP and the keynote speaker at the local civil rights
group’s fundraising brunch.
Malcolm X ’s
Daughter to Visit
Activist to
keynote Portland
NAACP event
by D anny p eteron
t he p ortlanD o bServer
Ilasah Shabazz, daughter of Af-
rican American Muslim minister
and human rights leader Malcolm
X, is coming to Portland Saturday,
May 26 to be the keynote speak-
er at a fundraising brunch by the
Portland NAACP.
The local civil rights organi-
zation is celebrating Malcolm
X with a series of events, called
the X Factor, which will also be
a fundraiser for the organization.
The celebration will also fall in
line with Malcom X’s birthday.
Shabaaz has garnered a repu-
tation for being an ambassador of
peace in her own right, promoting
higher education for at-risk youth,
giving motivational speeches,
participating in civil rights activ-
ism, fostering interfaith dialogue
to build connections between
cultures for young leaders of the
world, and facilitating humanitar-
ian delegations across the globe.
She is also an award winning
author of several books including:
Growing Up X, a coming of age
memoir; Malcolm Little: The Boy
Who Grew Up to Become Mal-
colm X, a children’s illustrated
book; X, a Novel, a young adult
historical fiction book; and her
newest book, Betty Before X, a
middle school historical fiction
book about her mother that was
co-authored by local writer Renée
Watson.
Shabazz followed in her fa-
ther’s footsteps in more ways than
one, retracing his steps to the Holy
City of Mecca to explore religious
and historical sites in Saudi Ara-
bia, Egypt and Jordan. Malcolm X
had done the same in 1964 when
he distanced himself from the ra-
cially divisive teachings of the
Nation of Islam and affirmed his
Islamic faith as a way to reconcile
racial tensions.
The brunch is part of a week-
long celebration of NAACP Port-
land’s 104 years of service that
includes fundraising, readings,
and the announcement of a proc-
lamation for the city to officially
recognize May 19, Malcolm X’s
birthday, as Malcolm X day in
Portland.
“The city’s proclamation would
serve as official recognition to the
important work of Malcolm X and
emphasize our city and its leaders
[sic] commitment, to reshaping
Oregon’s racist history,” an offi-
cial statement from NAACP Port-
land read.
Readings of Malcolm X and an
auction will be held on Wednes-
day, May 23 at 7 p.m. at Po’Shines
Café on 8139 N Denver Ave. For
more information and tickets for
the Shabazz event , visit xfactor.
ticketleap.com/xfactor.